This reminds me of the story of Su Dongpo in the Northern Song Dynasty: once, Su Dongpo visited Moganshan and came to a temple halfway up the mountain. Seeing people in rags, the monk said coldly, "Sit down!" " He said to the little novice monk, "tea!" " Su Dongpo takes a seat and drinks tea. He had a casual chat with the monk. Seeing the extraordinary people, the monk immediately invited Su Dongpo into the hall, put down his chair and said, "Please sit down!" " He also ordered the little novice monk: "tea!" " Su Dongpo continued to talk with the monk. With Su Dongpo's extraordinary speech and gestures, the monk has a good eye for people and can't help asking Su Dongpo's name. Su Dongpo said wryly: "The little official is Su Zizhan, the judge of Hangzhou." The monk quickly got up, invited Su Shi into a living room in Jing Ya and said respectfully, "Please sit down!" He also ordered the little novice monk: "fragrant tea!" " Su Dongpo saw that the monk was snobbish, sat for a while and left. Seeing that Su Dongpo couldn't stay, the monk asked Su Dongpo to write an inscription as a souvenir. Su Dongpo wrote a couplet: "Please sit down, please sit down, please sit down, tea smells good." You see, powerful monks have existed since ancient times, what's more, there are abundant materials and rich banquets, and few people really practice. Becoming a monk or staying at home, or practicing the spiritual world, are the heights of faith. Becoming a monk is only superficial, and it is another sin to refer to Buddha eating food, so it is necessary to pay ten times as much effort as living practitioners to repay the food given by Buddha. This is also the Zen language of a monk I understand.
Many years ago, about two thousand years ago, I was working in Huludao, and my sister-in-law was hospitalized with a heart attack. I went to wait on the bed. The abbot of Xingcheng seaside city Mazu Tempel lives in a ward. The abbot was about 60 years old. When the old man was young, he became a nun, and his legal name was "National Bank". At that time, Master Guo Hang did not accept apprentices, and there was only one Buddhist in the temple to accompany her. After her illness, Buddhists took care of the temple for her. She is alone in the hospital, and it is inconvenient for no one to take care of her. So I still served one, and even the old abbot took care of her. The old man was very grateful, so I became attached to the master.
One afternoon, an aunt in her fifties was admitted to the ward and said that she had a high fever and was fine during the day. As soon as the sun went down, she had a fever, and the doctor couldn't find the cause, so she had to infusion to reduce the fever. So after three or four days, menstruation had a fever all day and night. The master told me quietly that she was not ill, but something happened at home. I wonder if her family believes in outsiders. As soon as I heard this, menstruation flew into a rage and couldn't have a good rest every night. Believe it or not, give it a try, so I told my aunt's daughter what Master meant. My daughter couldn't be better, so she asked the master, what did the master say about your family recently? My aunt and daughter said that my grandmother and mother got sick as soon as they were sent home. Master said this is it. Your mother and grandmother had a little resentment before their death, and the old man couldn't let go. My aunt's daughter suddenly realized that her three-year-old son cried as soon as he went to the toilet after his grandmother died, saying that her grandmother was there. She thinks this is a child's nonsense, as if for a reason. The master said, we might as well try it in my way, and it should be safe tonight. Later, as expected, menstruation slept well at night and was discharged from the hospital on the third day of observation the next day. From then on, I admired Master very much.
We have been together for ten days. When Master told me that she was a layman, she had a son. Because she didn't take good care of the children when she was a child, she always felt guilty. Later, when the child grew up, she found a small business by the sea. After she became a monk for many years, she also saved some incense money from donors to help her children. So she always felt that his practice was not perfect, and the fate of dust could not be broken, pointing to the Buddha for dinner. The whole world comes to the temple to kowtow to the Buddha and give money, but they don't know that they worship the clay bodhisattva and give it to the monk. The monk pointed to the Buddha to eat, and the clay bodhisattva would not dominate. These are two evils. The money for the crime was given away to a monk for nothing. Two sins, disrespect for parents, coming to the temple to kowtow and bow down to deceive the Buddha. Therefore, everyone's parents are your bodhisattvas. Honor your parents at home and worship the bodhisattva. You don't have to come to the temple to worship. You practice your thoughts instead of your actions. You practice at home, and you don't have to point at the Buddha when you eat. So I committed two crimes against the Buddha.
Master's words inspired me. It was so novel. It is rare for her to dare to tell the truth and clarify the true meaning of practice. I still remember it after so many years. Everyone, whether a monk or a layman, is practicing, but a visit by Mr. Cao Wangde made the so-called monk take off his cassock, and no matter how beautiful Kesaya is, he can't hide the vanity of fooling the Buddha. How to practice if you can't trim the height of the earth? The real yogi is Mr. Cao.
Now, Master Guo Hang should be over 80 years old, and her Zen words will never be forgotten. Being a man is the starting point of practice. Master Guo Hang should still be practicing in Mazu Tempel, so I will go to see her again.